West Boylston resident named magistrate judge

David H. Hennessy, of West Boylston, has been chosen to be a Magistrate Judge, subject to the required background investigation.

When appointed, Hennessy will sit in Worcester, filling the vacancy created by the appointment of former Magistrate Judge Timothy S. Hillman as a U.S. district judge, commissioned June 6, 2012.

"Attorney Hennessy has a well deserved reputation in the Worcester community for his skill as an advocate and his fairness. He is going to be a great addition to our court," said Chief Judge Patti Saris. "The court, the Worcester Bar and most importantly, the citizens of Worcester County will be well served."

Hennessy, 58, now serves as the chief of the Worcester branch in the Office of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, and has served in that capacity since 2008. While serving in the Worcester Branch Office since July 1999, the cases he has tried include violations of federal tax, gun, drug and child protection laws.

In addition to serving as chief of the Worcester branch, Hennessy was an acting deputy assistant attorney general at the Criminal Division in Washington, D.C. He supervised 175 assistant U.S. attorneys working in the Appellate Section, Fraud Section, Capital Case Unit and Gang Unit in Washington.

Hennessy also has served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York and served on the Enron Task Force. He was responsible for prosecuting in the Southern District of Texas crimes in connection with the collapse of Enron. He received the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service for his work on the Enron TaskForce.

Hennessy is a graduate of Fordham University School of Law in New York, N.Y., and State University of New York, in Plattsburgh, N.Y. He is an adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice Department of Quinsigamond Community College, where he teaches constitutional law.